Inmate death at L.A. county jail under investigation

LOS ANGELES - Autopsy information on an 18-year-old robbery suspect who died Thursday after a confrontation in the county's Twin Towers jail will not be made public until coroner's investigators get the results of toxicology tests.

George Rosales, allegedly punched in the face by a deputy on Tuesday, was found unresponsive in his one-man cell at 12:42 a.m. Thursday and later declared dead at County-USC Medical Center.

He was arrested on suspicion of robbery July 27, 2011 by deputies assigned to the Century Station in unincorporated South Los Angeles, sheriff's officials said.

Jail records showed Rosales injured himself twice while exercising in his housing area in September, Parker said.

He was seen by medical personnel both times, and taken to a hospital on one occasion.

On Tuesday, Rosales was punched in the face by a deputy.

"He was handcuffed, taken to be seen by a jail medical professional, and cleared to return to jail housing," sheriff's Capt. Mike Parker said.

Coroner's investigators said they would not release autopsy results until toxicology reports have been done. They can take up to six weeks.

The death comes at a time that the sheriff's department, operator of the most populous jail system in the nation, is under pressure from civil liberty groups and the federal government concerning the treatment of inmates.

The Los Angeles County jail population, now around 16,000, is down significantly from more than 20,000 in recent years, but the state's release of some 8,400 parolees into Los Angeles County in the coming year could buoy the numbers. The city of Los Angeles is expected to get about half the total.